This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
The present disclosure relates to the field of connectors for connecting subsea components. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a subsea connector that attaches to the outer profile of a subsea component such as a wellhead and increases the bending capacity, lowers the bending resistance, and/or provides a supportive load path for, a subsea drilling, production, or completion system.
Wellhead connectors typically comprise upper and lower portions, wherein the upper portion is coupled to a subsea component by being screwed, bolted or affixed by other means to the upper portion. The lower portion typically has a cylindrical profile that extends around the wellhead housing. The upper portion has a shoulder that lands on the upper rim of the wellhead. A seal can be disposed at the shoulder between the wellhead and the upper portion of the wellhead connector.
A locking member, such as a set of dogs or collet fingers, is moved from a radially retracted position, wherein the locking member is not in contact with the wellhead, to a radially engaged position, wherein the locking member is in contact with the outer profile of the wellhead. Moving the locking member into the retracted position allows the wellhead connector to be removed from the wellhead, together with a subsea component coupled to the wellhead connector. Moving the locking member into the engaged position secures the subsea component coupled to the wellhead connector to the wellhead.
When the wellhead connector is in the engaged position, the system experiences bending loads from movement of the system above the wellhead. The limits of operation for a subsea system are determined by the bending capacity of the system. The bending capacity can be translated into a diameter extending from the wellhead knowing as a “watch circle.” As total system bending capacity increases, the watch circle can be increased. Increasing the watch circle improves the safety of the system, increasing the operational window and improving system efficiency. In particular, increasing bending capacity allows for additional remediation time prior to execution of emergency procedures required to mitigate high loading situations (e.g., drive-off, emergency disconnect, shear-and-seal, etc.).